Gratitude and Kindness

"My gratitude is non-negotiable." I heard this on a recent episode of "Royal Pains" and thought it was a pretty deep statement. I mean seriously, when you are thankful for something or someone should you belittle that gratitude or allow it to be diminshed? I think not. If more people showed gratitude to others for things, this would be a much more friendly planet.

For instance, have you ever held open a door for a stranger and they didn't even acknowledge it? I have, it didn't bother me but I noticed it... but when someone does acknowledge some kind thing you've done for them, it's a shared moment of joy... it's a bright spot in the day.

A quote from Mother Teresa that I like is "We cannot do great things in this world, we can only do small things greatly." I think it is so life altering to realize this... to know and grasp that a smile, holding a door for someone, helping pick something up that has been dropped, giving someone a hand who is down on their luck, sharing your food, your time, your hopes, dreams, joys, empathisizing with someones sorrows.... they can all make a huge difference when you see the domino affect that ripples behind it. Little things... little things... take the time to do kind little things and you will make a great difference somewhere at some time.

My challenge to anyone who bothers to read this is to commit random acts of kindness in yor life... whether you know the person you are doing something nice for or not.

Have you ever done something kind for another person anonomously? A note, a flower, anything that lets them know they are appreciated or thought of... and they do not know who it came from It's a pretty cool concept. I mean think about it... if you walked to your desk or car one day and found a little flower, a piece of candy, any random little thing... or simply a note "You are appreciated, thank you!" "I hope you have a good day" , "Good luck with..." wouldn't that make your day? I don't mean sappy or stalker spooky, just honest good intentions.

You cannot always know the affect your acts of kindness or gratitude can have on another person's life... you may not always get to see the ripple that follows in the wake of a single thoughtful gesture, but it can be profound... both to yourself and to the person you have treated with kindness.

Wait a few seconds longer to hold the door for someone. Allow someone to go in front of you in line. Thank the cashier before you leave their line. Hand your left over orange to the hungry person standing on a corner in need. Help a person pick up the mail they've dropped because their arms are too full. Reply to an e-mail when someone has done something for you at work with a quick "thank you". Tell someone you appreciate their act of kindness towards you. Write a letter to someone that you've been thinking of and let them know what they mean to your life. Stop for the lost dog knowing that someone loves him and misses him and would like him back safe at home. Start a few good ripples in the world.... affect yourself.

Peace everyone!!!

What's the value of a life and the cost of love?

What value would you place on a life? What would you be willing to pay to save or help someone you love? What if that someone had cancer and needed expensive chemo, would you be willing to pay for that? (Hang in there, I'm heading somewhere.)

Would you criticize someone who was willing to pay for chemo to save someone they love?

Now... to go a little deeper: is human life more valuable than non-human? Isn't love love, and life life? Are humans supposed to limit their love to other humans or their willingness to reach out and help the non-humans in their lives? Can you really put a monetary value on the love you feel for other creatures and can you judge people who feel love so deeply that they are willing NOT put a limit on the love they feel?

I spoke with a friend today that has a dog who has been diagnosed with lymphoma and she has been taking her for chemotherapy. She said that some people had been very supportive of her effort and others not so supportive at all. The not so supportive ones have gotten her down. I don't get it... how can anyone be critical of another human for the depth of love shown here? Some people might argue "it's just a dog" or "it's just an animal." But love , I don't feel, shouldn't be limited to love for other bi-pedal creatures that have the same number of chromosomes we do. Well, that is how I feel. I'm sure others out there who have a deeper connection with the other creatures that share the world and share our lives feel the same way. Maybe if humaity as a whole felt more connected with the rest of the world and the creatures and organisms in it, we'd not be in a lot of the messes we are in right now.

I was listening to a part of a public radio show just this week that discussed biomimicry. I know what biomimicry is, but I had never really thought about it in the terms that they were discussing. Basically the topic being discussed boils down to this... humans manipulate and beat the elements and chemicals aroudn them into submission to form things they want. They may be mimicing an organism in nature as the basis of their manipulation... but we're not really learning from nature.... we're learning about nature. If we were learning from nature then we'd see that all organisms live within limits. Organisms have what are called limiting factors: temperature, sun exposure, water, pH levels, and so forth. They have to do what they do without kiiling or harming themselve. For instance photosynthesis... plants must capture and covert photons to chemical energy, but they have to do so without raising their body temperatures and so forth to a level that will damage themselve. Many animals do the same things.

Humans however.... humans... force some of these processes. We manipulate all those limiting facotrs we shouldn't. We don't live within our limits.... and the result is polution, environmental damage, depletion of natural resources etc.

Anyway, we have a lot to learn from animals and plants. We may know all the bio-details if you will, but up through modern industrial history we really haven't learned from them. We see their end results and try to copy. Good news is, it sounds like people are now trying to actually biomimic and leanr how to do the things seen in nature but within those limiting factors.

I know ... a tangent.

I think I need to add a line to one of my profiles b/c I have always felt that friendships should not be limited by race, age, color, cread, orientation, cultural or religios beliefs or the lack there of... maybe I should add species. I've had some pretty deep bonds of friendship and love with creatures unlike myself. And I am very thankful to them for what they contributed to my life. Let's see... dogs, cats, birds, snakes, mice, rats, guinea pigs, tigers, lions, mountian lions...lizards. Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel blessed by love brought into my life in whatever form it's offered. And I am thankful for other people who deel the same way as I do. And I totally understand and agree that if you have the means, no one should make you feel badly for helping one you love... human or not.

Living and learning

Shannon and I have decided to rededicate ourselves to vegetarianism. We're giving it another try. So we're in our second month now and doing well. We've also set goals to meet for the year for health, fitness, diet, learning, volunteering, climbing, travel plans & researching and so on.

While we were back in TX for the Holidays, a friend of ours, Lu Lu (a.k.a. Olivia) was a lifesaver. At the very last minute our dogsitter plans went down the tubes. Olivia rescued us and stayed with Shadow and Wylie.

Olivia left us a resource book for us to peruse about nutrients and their origins. I must say, with just the little I have gotten to read already... I will be re-thinking not just what I eat but what I use. I'm choosing to not eat animals... so it stands to reason that if I'm choosing to do that based off of moral reasons (which this time I feel more morally driven than before) then I must also decide to not slather animals on my skin, put in my hair etc. And it is amazing to me that I have gone my whole life reading ingredients on things and NOT known that some very common ingredients come from from animals. It's a bit of a personal revelation.

I do not plan to become a person that is obsessed, but there was one statement in this book that I really liked. You choose the level of veganism that you are comfortable with and can maintain. I'm comfortable with not promoting the use of animal products in my own life. I don't plan on throwing things away... that would be wasteful... and philosophically I would see that as being unappreciative to the animals that have died for what I already have. So I will use up what I have and learn to find different choices for things I "consume" in the future. I am not opposed to buying second hand b/c I am promoting Earth friedly practices and not promoting the production of new animal-based products. Lu lu and I talked about this a couple of times b/c I was interested in what her take on it was as a vegan. I already prefer to shop thrift stores over new retail for many reasons. Now I have another reason to add.

So that's my take on it right now. I consider this another new journey... and opportunity to learn and grow.

Now onto a non-diet and philisophical part of my life... I'm also going to start taking a Spanish class. I've wanted to try learning Spanish again for a long time. Time to put that in action. I am also taking a class on Paganism,Wiccan, Druidism. I've always been facinated with cultures and religions and other belief systems. I saw these courses in a community class program and thought "why not?" There's a personal tie there as well.... being of an Irish, Scotish, and Welsh heritage.

I keep going back to wanting to study cultural anthropology. Specifically comparitive religions and cultures are particularly fascinating to me. I feel it's impossible to separate out religion... or rather religious/ belief systems from culture. The two develop together. Even if a person is an atheist, they are still part of a culture influenced by belief systems.

So here I go... starting a new year year with plans already in action and hoping to make this a year of discovery and growth.

Just getting started...

I've always thought I'd be better at keeping a journal that was type written rather than hand written.... so here I go.

Just getting started....